On Target

Recognizing sensory and motor issues people with autism and other disabilities face, popular retailer Target has addressed these needs by recently offering special lines of clothing and home furnishings. Through their Cat & Jack clothing for children, Universal Thread clothing for adults, and Pillowfort home items, Target now offers products thoughtfully designed with their special needs customers in mind.

According to articles on Target’s corporate website, A Bullseye View, titled “Cat & Jack Includes Adaptive Apparel to Help Meet the Needs of Even More Kids” and “Design for All: Cat & Jack Add Select Sensory-Friendly Pieces for Kids,” Target began offering “sensory-friendly” clothing in 2017. [To read these online articles, please click here and here.] For example, this line of clothing has stamped labels instead of tags, flat seams, and no embellishments that may bother children with sensory sensitivity. In addition, leggings were designed with extra room in the hips to accommodate older children who wear diapers.

Target clothing design director Stacey Monsen knows firsthand the difficulties of dressing a child with autism: her young daughter has autism and was not potty trained by age seven. Working with a volunteer group of parents and organizations who could provide input, the Target team worked to solve some of the problems of clothing children with special needs. As Stacey Monsen states, “My goal is to keep being an advocate, for my daughter and for others.”

Not only are the Cat & Jack clothing sensory friendly, but they also come in a wide range of sizes: toddler sizes 2T-5T and bigger kids sizes extra small through extra extra large. Additionally, the clothes are quite reasonably priced from $4.50-$39.99, with most priced under twenty dollars, making sensory friendly clothing available to a wide range of customers.

Following up on the popularity of the Cat & Jack sensory-friendly clothing, Target introduced adaptive clothing in the fall of 2018. Using input from “real kids,” designers developed apparel to meet special needs. Specifically, this clothing line includes snap and zip closures on the sides and back along with abdominal access openings that are hidden. Other features include footless sleepwear, bodysuits sized for older children wearing diapers, and jackets with zip-off sleeves. Additionally, this clothing is made with “extra-soft, comfortable, and durable cotton knits.” All of these adaptive clothes were designed to make dressing easier for children with special needs and their parents.

According to a Disability Scoop online article written by Shaun Heasley and published on January 31, 2018, “Target Adding Clothing For Adults With Special Needs,” the retailer added a line of clothing to serve women with sensory and adaptive needs in February 2018. [To read this article, please click here.] The Universal Thread collection offers tops and jeans in a wide range of adult sizes reasonably priced from $5 to under $40. Like the Cat & Jack clothing line for children, the adult versions are “sensory-friendly” with stamped labels instead of tags, flat seams, and extra-soft material. The jeans have longer inseams, wider leg openings, high-rise backs, and no pockets to make getting dressed easier.

Building on the success of the clothing lines addressing special needs, Target has recently added sensory-friendly items to their Pillowfort home collection. According to an online article written by Mark Wilson on Fast Company published April 3, 2019, and titled “Target’s newest furniture is for kids with sensory sensitivity,” Target is now offering furniture items specifically designed for special needs children. [To read this article, please click here.] Just as with their Cat & Jack sensory-friendly and adaptive clothing, Target designers consulted with parents and children to gain input on this sensory-friendly furniture line.

Furthermore, Target’s website details the careful thought put into these special home items on their “Sensory Friendly Kids’ Home” page. [To access this page, please click here.] For example, the cocoon seat offers “cradled comfort” as well as a removable, washable “super-soft” cover with a water-resistant liner. The hideaway tent allows children a place to get away from sensory overload while providing a carrying case for easy transport. The crash pads, like the cocoon seats, have removable, washable covers with water-resistant linings, as well as durable fabric and foam. The weighted blankets, which many children with autism find soothing for sleep, have “super-soft removable, washable covers.” As with the special clothing lines, Target has kept these home items reasonably priced from $20-100, making them available to most families. As Target senior vice-president Julie Guggemos explains, “At Target, our purpose is to help all families discover the joy of everyday life.”

Certainly, Target should be commended for their concern for special needs customers and their willingness to seek input about how to make their lives easier and better. By offering a variety of reasonably priced clothing and furniture that address sensory and adaptive issues, Target can successfully meet the needs of a growing population. Indeed, through the Cat & Jack, Universal Thread, and Pillowfort collections, Target can help families, especially those with special needs, “discover the joy of everyday life.”

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Family Restrooms

One of the nicest features about the town where we live is the variety of local parks. Recently, our city leaders have sought input regarding the renovation of two older parks and the expansion of the newest park. A group of parents in our community whose children have special needs have done research, discussed ideas, collaborated, and presented ways that these parks could better accommodate people with disabilities. From considering alternatives to mulch under playground equipment that would be easier for wheelchair access to investigating the best swings for special needs children, these parents have made requests that would benefit not only their children but also other children now and in the future who have similar needs. Besides accessibility to playgrounds, these parents have suggested that the parks offer family restrooms. Seeing the value of this concept, the parks department has indicated that the expansion of the newest park and the redevelopment of the old children’s playground will indeed include family restrooms.

While we are fortunate that Alex does not have major physical limitations and is toilet trained, we would have concerns about his using a public restroom without one of us being there to assist him. When we do things as a family, Ed could take him to the restroom if needed, but when I take Alex places by myself, I worry that he will need to go to the bathroom. Since he is now twenty-two years old and six feet tall, he wouldn’t be easy to sneak into the women’s restroom with me, but in an emergency, that’s what would have to happen. Trying to avoid this scenario, before we leave the house, I ask Alex repeatedly, “Do you need to go to the bathroom before we leave? Are you sure you won’t need to go while we’re out? Don’t you think you should go now? When did you last go to the bathroom? Are you positive you don’t need to go to the bathroom before we go?” After the barrage of questions, Alex usually just decides it’s easier to make a quick trip to the bathroom before we leave than to listen to my nagging. Still, I worry when the two of us are out in public that he will need to use the restroom, and I will have to figure out the best way to accommodate his need. Family restrooms would be the ideal solution for us.

In doing some reading about family restrooms, I realized that these facilities not only benefit children with special needs who require the assistance of parents or caregivers but also any parents of children of the gender opposite theirs. For example, fathers would prefer not to take their young daughters into the men’s room, but they may not be comfortable with their daughters going into the women’s restroom alone. Or, as in my case, mothers don’t want their sons going into the men’s room alone but realize that other women may not be comfortable with boys, or especially a young man, being in the ladies’ room. In addition, older people with disabilities may prefer family restrooms so that their spouses can assist them. With Alex we have two primary concerns regarding using a public restroom alone. First, his lack of social skills could make him vulnerable to a negative interaction with others. He could be easy prey to someone taking advantage of his gullibility, or someone may find his awkward behavior, such as not giving enough personal space, annoying or threatening. Another issue we are currently dealing with is his carelessness about making certain he pulls up his pants completely after toileting. Without our reminding and even help with adjusting his clothing, he could offend others by having his rear end partially exposed. Family restrooms could prevent any of those scenarios for us.

As this discussion regarding the addition of family restrooms in the city parks has evolved, parents of special needs children on a local Facebook group have noted and shared locations of family restrooms in the area, including stores, restaurants, libraries, and fitness clubs. This discussion has made me much more aware of family restrooms with the hopes that if I know where they are, I’ll never need to use one with Alex. Yesterday, we took him to the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center to view the various exhibits they have in conjunction with our nearby state park. As this was my first time to visit the center, I noted the various displays and amenities offered to visitors and was surprised to see that in addition to the restrooms for men and women, a third option was available—a family restroom. Although we didn’t need to use this facility, I was pleased that the visitor center offers this accommodation for those who do need it.

With the increasing rates of autism, more and more parents are going to find themselves caring for children and eventually adults with autism. As we try to integrate our children in the community by taking them out in public, we will need to have restroom facilities that accommodate their special needs. Family restrooms provide an ideal solution to the problem not just for parents and caregivers of special needs people but also for any parents who do not want their children to go to public restrooms alone. Until family restrooms become more common, I’ll keep badgering Alex before he and I leave for mother-son outings and keep my fingers crossed that we never have to sneak into the women’s restroom together. However, that could make an interesting blog entry.

“Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do.” Ecclesiastes 4:9